Dana Carvey (Dana Thomas Carvey)
Photos with Dana Carvey
Biography
Missoula, Montana, USA
One of SNL's most talented alumni, comedian Dana Carvey reigned supreme during his six-season run creating some of the show's most memorable characters, including "Church Lady", "Garth" of Wayne & Garth fame, Grumpy Old Man and bodybuilding "Hans" of Hans & Franz notoriety. So it is quite bewildering that this sharp and witty writer, actor and impressionist failed to hatch a successful career in films as some of his SNL cohorts -- Mike Myers, Adam Sandler and Chris Farley -- left to do. Read more...
While majoring in Communication Arts at San Francisco State, Dana sought out the comedy stage doing standard impressions of well-known personalities such as John Wayne, Howard Cosell and James Stewart. Within a few months he was beginning to win stand-up comedy awards. In time, however, he replaced his impersonations with self-created characterizations and such ripe forms as the Church ("Isn't that special!") Lady were the result.
After playing various Bay Area comedy venues, Dana decided to relocate to Los Angeles in 1981 and give Hollywood a try. He quickly landed a development deal with NBC. While playing a straight foil to Mickey Rooney wasn't exactly his cup of tea, it did break him into series work as Rooney's grandson in the short-lived sitcom One of the Boys (1982). Mickey played a hip, energetic grandpa who is invited to move out of his retirement home and into the cool pad of his college-student grandson and his roommate (played by another up-and-comer, Nathan Lane).
Dana joined the repertory company of Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1986, and the result was spectacular, helping to reverse the show's decline in popularity at the time. With his sharp, quicksilver characters and uncanny ability to exaggerate dead-on impersonations of the rich and famous -- from politicos George Bush and Ross Perot to entertainment's Johnny Carson, Woody Allen and Regis Philbin, Dana became the darling of the SNL set for six solid seasons. He was nominated six times for an Emmy Award, finally winning in 1993 for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program", and also won multiple American Comedy Awards.
In the meantime he also sought out comedy film vehicles to extend his stardom, following the pathway of other successful post-SNL comics, but came up surprisingly short. In his first comedy vehicle Opportunity Knocks (1990), he unleashed his typical bag of tricks (dialects, impressions, etc.) in a tale about a con artist who falls for the daughter of one of his wealthy dupes. Audience reception was mild. Clean Slate (1994) was a retread of Bill Murray's earlier Groundhog Day (1993) about a detective who awakens every morning without any recall. Again, mild. Given a thankless role in The Road to Wellville (1994), which was not even his vehicle, the film Trapped in Paradise (1994) had him joining former SNL Jon Lovitz in another dispiriting comedy.
Dana's best results on film came in tandem with Mike Myers in which the duo recreated their memorable "party-on" dudes Wayne and Garth from the famous SNL sketches. Wayne's World (1992) and its sequel Wayne's World 2 (1993) were box-office smashes, but it did not further Dana's film career. Other than guest cameos, his screen promise dematerialized, while his own self-titled TV comedy series, The Dana Carvey Show (1996), faltered as well. As its host, he reprised a number of his popular characters and introduced a slew of future comedians, including Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, but the show was deemed too offensive and was canceled after only six airings. Dana's last film to date was the comedy vehicle The Master of Disguise (2002), which was executive-produced by Adam Sandler. Like most of his others, it fell flat and exited early from the theaters.
Where Dana's brilliance IS captured is on the live comedy stage and in his numerous TV cable specials and standup concert appearances. To see Dana perform live is to witness an ideal blend of wit, style, personality and unrestrained, racy humor, something he was not afforded to do on film. He lives with wife Paula in Southern California.
While majoring in Communication Arts at San Francisco State, Dana sought out the comedy stage doing standard impressions of well-known personalities such as John Wayne, Howard Cosell and James Stewart. Within a few months he was beginning to win stand-up comedy awards. In time, however, he replaced his impersonations with self-created characterizations and such ripe forms as the Church ("Isn't that special!") Lady were the result.
After playing various Bay Area comedy venues, Dana decided to relocate to Los Angeles in 1981 and give Hollywood a try. He quickly landed a development deal with NBC. While playing a straight foil to Mickey Rooney wasn't exactly his cup of tea, it did break him into series work as Rooney's grandson in the short-lived sitcom One of the Boys (1982). Mickey played a hip, energetic grandpa who is invited to move out of his retirement home and into the cool pad of his college-student grandson and his roommate (played by another up-and-comer, Nathan Lane).
Dana joined the repertory company of Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1986, and the result was spectacular, helping to reverse the show's decline in popularity at the time. With his sharp, quicksilver characters and uncanny ability to exaggerate dead-on impersonations of the rich and famous -- from politicos George Bush and Ross Perot to entertainment's Johnny Carson, Woody Allen and Regis Philbin, Dana became the darling of the SNL set for six solid seasons. He was nominated six times for an Emmy Award, finally winning in 1993 for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program", and also won multiple American Comedy Awards.
In the meantime he also sought out comedy film vehicles to extend his stardom, following the pathway of other successful post-SNL comics, but came up surprisingly short. In his first comedy vehicle Opportunity Knocks (1990), he unleashed his typical bag of tricks (dialects, impressions, etc.) in a tale about a con artist who falls for the daughter of one of his wealthy dupes. Audience reception was mild. Clean Slate (1994) was a retread of Bill Murray's earlier Groundhog Day (1993) about a detective who awakens every morning without any recall. Again, mild. Given a thankless role in The Road to Wellville (1994), which was not even his vehicle, the film Trapped in Paradise (1994) had him joining former SNL Jon Lovitz in another dispiriting comedy.
Dana's best results on film came in tandem with Mike Myers in which the duo recreated their memorable "party-on" dudes Wayne and Garth from the famous SNL sketches. Wayne's World (1992) and its sequel Wayne's World 2 (1993) were box-office smashes, but it did not further Dana's film career. Other than guest cameos, his screen promise dematerialized, while his own self-titled TV comedy series, The Dana Carvey Show (1996), faltered as well. As its host, he reprised a number of his popular characters and introduced a slew of future comedians, including Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, but the show was deemed too offensive and was canceled after only six airings. Dana's last film to date was the comedy vehicle The Master of Disguise (2002), which was executive-produced by Adam Sandler. Like most of his others, it fell flat and exited early from the theaters.
Where Dana's brilliance IS captured is on the live comedy stage and in his numerous TV cable specials and standup concert appearances. To see Dana perform live is to witness an ideal blend of wit, style, personality and unrestrained, racy humor, something he was not afforded to do on film. He lives with wife Paula in Southern California.
Actor

Character:
Assistant
Halloween II 1981
69
0

Character:
Scrapply Puppeteer
Jack and Jill 2011
37
10

Character:
Garth
Saturday Night Live: Just Shorts 2009
0

Character:
Himself
TV's 50 Funniest Catch Phrases 2009
0
4

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies 2008
0

Character:
Ross Perot / George Bush
Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08 2008
0

Character:
Himself
Earth to America 2005
0

Character:
Happy Fun Ball Kid
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Commercial Parodies 2005
3

Character:
Himself - Commentator
101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments 2004
0

Character:
Himself / Various
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks 2004
7

Character:
George Bush / H.Ross Perot
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2004 2004
0

Character:
Himself
Night of Too Many Stars 2003
0

Character:
Pistachio Disguisey
The Master of Disguise 2002
26
0

Character:
Referee
Little Nicky 2000
56

Character:
Various
SNL: 25 Years of Music 1999
0

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice 1995
0

Character:
George Kellogg
The Road to Wellville 1994
37

Character:
Alvin Firpo
Trapped in Paradise 1994
26

Character:
Maurice L. Pogue
Clean Slate 1994
9

Character:
Garth Algar
Wayne's World 2 1993
53

Character:
Garth Algar
Wayne's World 1992
52

Character:
Lyle
Toonces, the Cat Who Could Drive a Car 1992
0

Character:
Himself - Host
The 15th Annual Young Comedians Special 1992
0

Character:
Himself / Garth
MTV Video Music Awards 1991 1991
9

Character:
Himself
Comic Relief IV 1991
0

Character:
Eddie
Opportunity Knocks 1990
13

Character:
Himself
The 4th Annual American Comedy Awards 1990
0

Character:
Richie Evans
Tough Guys 1986
14

Character:
Mime Waiter
This Is Spinal Tap 1984
16

Character:
Baby Face
Racing with the Moon 1984
10

Character:
Dana Carvey
The Shot 1996
0

Character:
George H. W. Bush
Presidential Reunion 2010
0

Character:
Himself / Church Lady / George Bailey
Saturday Night Live Christmas 1999
13

Character:
Himself / Derek Stevens / Garth Algar
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special 2015
6

Character:
Lane Maxwell / Church Lady / Marine / Derek Stevens
Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter 1986
0

Character:
Various
Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run-DMC 1986
0
0

Character:
Church Lady / Various
Sam Kinison/Lou Reed 1986
0

Character:
Milt / Actor / Tommy
Robin Williams/Paul Simon 1986
13

Character:
Various / Jimmy Stewart / Church Lady
Chevy Chase/Steve Martin/Martin Short/Randy Newman 1986
0

Character:
Mr. Nateq-Nari / Derek Stevens / Casey Kasem / O'Malley / Son
Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders 1986
4

Character:
Various / Neil Young / Church Lady
Walter Payton & Joe Montana/Debbie Harry 1987
0
0
0

Character:
Various / Robin Leach / Church Lady
Willie Nelson 1987
0

Character:
Various
Valerie Bertinelli/Robert Cray Band 1987
0

Character:
Chad Hewitt / Mikey / King Laetese / Various
Bill Murray/Percy Sledge 1987
0

Character:
Various
John Lithgow/Anita Baker 1987
0

Character:
Various
John Larroquette/Timbuk-3 1987
0

Character:
Various
Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega 1987
0

Character:
Various
Garry Shandling/Los Lobos 1987
0

Character:
Various / Church Lady / Robin Leach
Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison 1987
0

Character:
George Bush / Kyle Knopfler / George Plimpton / Announcer / Hans
Steve Martin/Sting 1987
0

Character:
Various
Dabney Coleman/The Cars 1987
0

Character:
Various
Robert Mitchum/Simply Red 1987
0

Character:
Various
Candice Bergen/Cher 1987
0
0

Character:
Various
Paul Simon/Linda Ronstadt 1987
0

Character:
Various
Robin Williams/James Taylor 1988
0

Character:
Various
Carl Weathers/Robbie Robertson 1988
0
0

Character:
Various
Tom Hanks/Randy Travis 1988
0

Character:
Various / Church Lady / Galileo Galilei
Judge Reinhold/10,000 Maniacs 1988
0

Character:
Hans / George Bush
Tom Hanks/Keith Richards 1988
2

Character:
Various / Paul McCartney
Matthew Broderick/The Sugarcubes 1988
0

Character:
Various
John Larroquette/Randy Newman 1988
0

Character:
Solider / Church Lady / Jimmy Carter / Burt Convy / Sammy
Matthew Modine/Edie Brickell & New Bohemians 1988
0

Character:
Various
Demi Moore/Johnny Clegg & Savuka 1988
0

Character:
Various
John Lithgow/Tracy Chapman 1988
0

Character:
Various
Danny Devito/The Bangles 1988
0

Character:
Various
Kevin Kline/Bobby McFerrin 1988
0
0

Character:
Various
John Malkovich/Anita Baker 1989
0

Character:
Various
Tony Danza/John Hiatt 1989
0

Character:
Various
Ted Danson/Luther Vandross 1989
0

Character:
Various
Leslie Nielsen/Cowboy Junkies 1989
0

Character:
Various
Glenn Close/Gipsy Kings 1989
0

Character:
Various
Mary Tyler Moore/Elvis Costello 1989
0

Character:
Raymond Babbitt / Cowboy / Scarface
Mel Gibson/Living Colour 1989
0

Character:
Various
Dolly Parton 1989
2

Character:
Various
Geena Davis/John Mellencamp 1989
0

Character:
Various
Wayne Gretzky/Fine Young Cannibals 1989
0
2

Character:
Various / George H.W. Bush / Garth Algar / James Stewart
Bruce Willis/Neil Young 1989
4

Character:
Hans / Casino Patron
Rick Moranis/Rickie Lee Jones 1989
2

Character:
Various
Kathleen Turner/Billy Joel 1989
0

Character:
Various
James Woods/Don Henley 1989
0

Character:
Various
Chris Evert/Eurythmics 1989
0

Character:
Hans / Singing Cowboy
Woody Harrelson/David Byrne 1989
4

Character:
Various
John Goodman/k.d. lang 1989
0
0
0

Character:
Various / George Bush / Garth Algar / Church Lady
Ed O'Neill/Harry Connick Jr. 1990
0

Character:
Various
Christopher Walken/Bonnie Raitt 1990
0

Character:
Various
Quincy Jones & Co. 1990
0

Character:
Various
Tom Hanks/Aerosmith 1990
0
0

Character:
Various / George Bush / Church Lady
Rob Lowe/The Pogues 1990
0

Character:
Various
Debra Winger/Eric Clapton 1990
0

Character:
Various
Corbin Bernsen/The Smithereens 1990
0

Character:
Various
Alec Baldwin/The B-52's 1990
0
0
2

Character:
Various
Kyle MacLachlan/Sinéad O'Connor 1990
2

Character:
Various
Susan Lucci/Hothouse Flowers 1990
2

Character:
Guy / Billy / Pol Pot / Walter Mondale
George Steinbrenner/Morris Day & The Time 1990
0

Character:
Various
Patrick Swayze/Mariah Carey 1990
2

Character:
Various
Jimmy Smits/World Party 1990
0

Character:
Regis Philbin / Lyle Clark / Guest / Co-Worker / Photographer
Dennis Hopper/Paul Simon 1990
0

Character:
Various / Church Lady / Keith Richards / John McLaughlin / Garth Algar
John Goodman/Faith No More 1990
0
2

Character:
Various
Dennis Quaid/The Neville Brothers 1990
3

Character:
Various
Joe Mantegna/Vanilla Ice 1991
0

Character:
Various
Sting 1991
3

Character:
Various
Kevin Bacon/INXS 1991
0

Character:
Himself / Chris / kid
Roseanne Barr/Deee-lite 1991
0

Character:
John McLaughlin / Businessman / Executive / Paul McCartney / Bob Dylan
Alec Baldwin/Whitney Houston 1991
2

Character:
George Bush / Michael J. Fox / Brian Grady / William Demarest / Elevator Fan
Michael J. Fox/Black Crowes 1991
0

Character:
Hans / Garth Algar / Various
Jeremy Irons/Fishbone 1991
0

Character:
Yes and No But Player / Businessman / Actor / Andy Shriver / Demonstrator / Jerry / Guest
Catherine O'Hara/R.E.M. 1991
2

Character:
Hans / George Bush / Bob Dylan / Casey Kasem
Steven Seagal/Michael Bolton 1991
0

Character:
Various
Delta Burke/Chris Isaak 1991
1

Character:
Various
George Wendt/Elvis Costello 1991
0

Character:
Various
Michael Jordan/Public Enemy 1991
0

Character:
Various
Jeff Daniels/Color Me Badd 1991
0
2

Character:
Various
Christian Slater/Bonnie Raitt 1991
0

Character:
Various
Kiefer Sutherland/Skid Row 1991
0

Character:
Various
Linda Hamilton/Mariah Carey 1991
2

Character:
Various
Macaulay Culkin/Tin Machine 1991
1

Character:
Various
Hammer 1991
0

Character:
Mickey Rooney / Regis Philbin / Various
Steve Martin/James Taylor 1991
1

Character:
Various / George Bush
Rob Morrow/Nirvana 1992
3
0

Character:
Various / Keith Partridge
Susan Dey/C+C Music Factory 1992
0

Character:
Various
Jason Priestly/Teenage Fanclub 1992
1

Character:
George Bush / Dollar Bill / Grumpy Old Man / Larry Roman
Roseanne & Tom Arnold/Red Hot Chili Peppers 1992
0

Character:
Various
John Goodman/Garth Brooks 1992
0

Character:
Various
Mary Stuart Masterson/En Vogue 1992
0

Character:
Garth Algar / Lyle Clark / interrogator / guard / neighbor
Sharon Stone/Pearl Jam 1992
2

Character:
Various
Jerry Seinfeld/Annie Lennox 1992
0

Character:
Various
Tom Hanks/Bruce Springsteen 1992
3

Character:
Johnny Carson / Dennis Miller / Brad / Singing Cowboy
Woody Harrelson/Vanessa Williams 1992
4

Character:
Various
Nicolas Cage/Bobby Brown 1992
0

Character:
Ross Perot / Dennis Miller
Tim Robbins/Sinéad O'Connor 1992
2

Character:
Various
Joe Pesci/Spin Doctors 1992
0
0

Character:
Various
Catherine O'Hara/10,000 Maniacs 1992
0

Character:
George Bush / Out Week Anchor / Various
Michael Keaton/Morrissey 1992
0

Character:
George Bush / sergeant / Batman / Gilligan / Tim
Sinbad/Sade 1992
0

Character:
Various
Tom Arnold/Neil Young 1992
1

Character:
Various
Glenn Close/Black Crowes 1992
0

Character:
Various
Danny DeVito/Bon Jovi 1993
2

Character:
Various
Harvey Keitel/Madonna 1993
2

Character:
Various
Luke Perry/Mick Jagger 1993
2

Character:
Various / Garth Algar / H. Ross Perot
Nicole Kidman/Stone Temple Pilots 1993
2

Character:
Host
Dana Carvey/Edie Brickell & Paul Simon 1994
0

Character:
Himself - Host / Various / Ross Perot / George Michael / Church Lady / Bill Clinton / Johnny Carson
Dana Carvey/Dr. Dre 1996
0

Character:
Various
Chris Rock/The Wallflowers 1996
0

Character:
Ross Perot / George Michael
Jon Lovitz/Jane's Addiction 1997
1

Character:
Hans
Heather Graham/Marc Anthony 1999
2
4

Character:
Himself - Host / Various / George Bush / Church Lady
Dana Carvey/The Wallflowers 2000
0

Character:
Hippie
Robert De Niro/Diddy-Dirty Money 2010
3

Character:
Himself - Host / Various / Garth Algar / Church Lady / Mickey Rooney / Regis Philbin
Dana Carvey/Linkin Park 2011
2

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dana Carvey/Hailee Steinfeld/Magic! 2014
0

Character:
Leonard
Anatomy Park 2013
0

Character:
Laurence Eastman
Snobs and Slobs 2014
0

Character:
Himself
Guest: Dana Carvey & Buzz Aldrin 2014
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Late Night with David Letterman 1982
0

Character:
Himself
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000 2000
0

Character:
Himself - Presenter: Best Live Action Short Film
The 64th Annual Academy Awards 1992
11

Character:
Himself / Various
Saturday Night Live 25 1999
0

Character:
Himself - Presenter
The 2nd Annual American Comedy Awards 1988
0

Character:
Himself
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary 1989
0
38

Character:
Himself
Superstars of Comedy Salute the Improv 1984
0

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey/Demi Lovato 0
2

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey/Cyndi Lauper/Mark Guiliana 0
2

Character:
Claw Jones
Tech Rehab 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #2.163 0
3

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #3.18 0
2

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #3.129 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #3.130 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #5.133 0
0

Character:
Himself
Adam Carolla/Dana Carvey 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #1.28 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #1.21 0
0

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey/Penn Jillette/Perez Hilton/Olivia Munn 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dana Carvey/Brit Marling 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #1.19 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Episode #5.8 0
0

Character:
Schnozmo
Double Oh Schnozmo/Planet Poof 0
1

Character:
Himself - Guest
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Pink Berry 0
1

Character:
Himself - Guest
That Which Does Not Kill Me Makes Me Think I'm Doing This Suicide Thing Wrong 0
1

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dana Carvey/Cristin Milioti/Gary Gulman 0
0

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dana Carvey/Deon Cole/Unknown Mortal Orchestra 0
1

Character:
Himself - Guest
Dana Carvey/Elizabeth Olsen 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Steve Carell 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Jon Lovitz 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Kevin Nealon 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Kate Flannery 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Yvette Nicole Brown 0
0

Character:
Himself - Expert in Residence
Tom Arnold 0
0

Character:
Himself
Episode #1.8 0
0

Character:
Testimonial
Sandy Wexler 2017
31
Writing

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies 2008
0

Character:
Pistachio Disguisey
The Master of Disguise 2002
26

Character:
Himself
Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice 1995
0

Character:
Himself
Comic Relief IV 1991
0